Reefing apparatus for sails



'(No Model.)

S. M. KELLINGER.

KEEPING APPARATUS FOR SAILS. No. 417,324. Patented Dec. 17, 1889.

II II n .n

mun k UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL MORRIS KELLINGER, OF MANTOLOKING, NEW JERSEY.

REEFING APPARATUS FOR SAILS SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,324, dated December 17, 1889.

Application filed May 3, 1889. Serial No. 309,502, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MORRIS KEL- LINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mant-oloking, in the county of Ocean and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reefing Apparatus for the Sails of Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for roofing the sails of vessels; and it consists in a simple and improved construction of apparatus whereby the sail may be easily and rap idly reefed by one person, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view representing my improved apparatus applied to the sail of a vessel. Fig. 2 further illustrates the reefing apparatus.

A designates the mast of a vessel, B the boom, and O the gaff, the sail D being secured to the said parts in the usual manner. The sail D is provided with one or more rows of eyelet-holes for one or more reefs. The eyelet-holes in the upper row, Fig. 1, are indicated by numerals 1 2 3 1-,&c.,and the invention is illustrated as applied to the upper reef. Two triple sheave-blocks a and a and a double sheave-block l) are secured tothe boom B, said blocks a a being located near the mast and the block .7) being placed a suitable distance from the outer end of the boom. A cleat c is fastened to the boom for the attachment of the ends of the lacing or rcefing cords.

The reefing-cord E is passed to about its mid-length through an eyelet-hole 1, and is brought down on one side to the block a and passed around a sheave in said block, from whence the cord is passed under the edge of the sail at d to the opposite side. Itis then passed through eyelet-hole 3 and brought down and passed under the sail at f and up through eyelet-hole 5, and so on, as shown at 72, 7, and 7;, and from 70 the cord is passed to the sheave-block b and abouta sheave in said block to the cleat c, to which the 005d is secured. The other part of the cord on the opposite side is brought down from the eyelethole 1 to the block a and passed about a sheave in said block and then passed through eyelet-hole 2. From thence it is brought down and passed under the edge of the sail at c, from thence to eyelet-hole 4, and so on, as seen at g, G, i, and 8, and from the eyelethole 8 the cord is passed under the sail at m, and from that point to the block I) and around a sheave in said block to the cleat o, where the cord is fastened or secured. A double lacing for reeflng is thus formed of a single cord, both ends of which are secured at one point, so that they may be drawn simultaneously and the roofing may be effected by one person standing near the after part of the boom. The cords are so adjusted that each point where the cord passes under the sail is on the same vertical line with one of the eyelet-holes through which it passes, so that the crossings of the cord are midway between the lower edge of the sail and the eyelet-holes. For the other reefs cords are applied in a similar manner, as indicated at no in Fig.

the triple sheave-b1oeks serving for three I cords.

For small craft screw-eyes may be employed for retaining the cords in position instead of the triple sheave-blocks, the screweyes allowing the cords to pass readily through them.

The reefing apparatus thus constructed is very easily and rapidly operated, as the cord is not liable to bind against itself at any point and passes freely under the bolt-rope at the lower edge of the sail. The lacing may be kept permanently set, or may be set at pleasure while the vessel is under Way. In wet freezing weather dry lacing can be set and a reef taken in a few moments, while other reefing devices, being permanently set, would require time to remove ice and get them in condition for reefing.

Vhen the sail is to be reefed, it is hauled in and lowered to reefing-points. The cords are drawn inboard from the block Z), lacing the sail to the boom, the lacings crossing each other. The cords are then Wrapped three or four times around the sail and boom from block b inward and are secured. in the usual way.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the sail of a vessel which is provided with a row of eyeletholes 1 2, &c., and the spar or boom to which the sail is secured, the said boom being provided with devices near its inner and outer ends for retaining a cord in position, of a reefing-cord which is passed through eyelethole 1, from whence the two parts of said cord, being on opposite sides of the sail, are each brought to a retaining device fixed to the boom, after which they are severally passed alternately underv the edge of the sail and through the other eyelet-holes, the said two parts alternating in the eyelet-holes, and the extremities of the cord being brought to a retaining device on the boom, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with the sail of a vessel provided with eyelet-holes l 2 3, 850., and

a boom to which the lower edge of the sail is secured, s'aid boom being provided with sheaveblocks at its inner end'and on its outward part, of a reefing-cord E, which is passed through eyelet-hole 1, after which the two parts of the cord, being on opposite sides of the sail, are passed to sheave-blocks a a, and

are severally passed alternately under the SAMUEL MORRIS KELLINGER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. KNOWLES, A. O. S. HAVENS. 

